Four things to remember from Michel Barnier’s team announcement

1 A balance between LR and Renaissance, no real opening to the left

The balance of political forces within the new government has been the subject of intense negotiations between the parties of the former presidential majority, LR and Michel Barnier. The discussions almost turned sour on Thursday, before the different parties reached a compromise. In the end, LR inherits ten positions, including three full-time positions. The majority of the remaining portfolios are shared by representatives of the parties of Emmanuel Macron’s former majority, Ensemble, MoDem and Horizons.

While Michel Barnier said he was ready to welcome people into their team “of good will” On September 6 on TF1, it is finally a team ranging from the center to the right that will be invested. The only trace of the opening to the left promised by the Prime Minister resides in the arrival of the former socialist Didier Migaud at the Ministry of Justice, all the same second in the protocol order. “We are going to move from a center-right and right-wing team to a right-wing and center-right team”joked socialist senator Patrick Kanner on franceinfo on Friday. The casting announcement has angered even the Macronist ranks, a deputy from the left wing of Renaissance even confided to franceinfo that he was “disgusted” Thursday evening.

Should this be seen as a sign of clarification? “Emmanuel Macron’s opening to the right since his re-election”as political scientist Bruno Cautres explained to franceinfo on Thursday? The nominations have in any case upset some deputies from the left wing of the Macronist camp. Deputy Sophie Errante thus slammed the door of the Ensemble pour la République group in the assembly on Friday, denouncing a “contempt” near Mediapart. Seven years after Emmanuel Macron’s election to the Elysée, we are far from “at the same time” original.

2 LR inherits key positions

While they had initially ruled out any participation in a government with Emmanuel Macron’s troops, the LR are largely represented in the new government with 10 positions. If Laurent Wauquiez preferred to remain head of the 47 LR elected representatives of the National Assembly, his counterpart in the Senate, Bruno Retailleau, inherits the Interior, a leading ministry. The deputy Annie Genevard becomes Minister of Agriculture, and the mayor of Châteauroux Gil Avérous is appointed to Sports. The deputy Laurence Garnier, whose opposition to marriage for all and the constitutionalization of abortion had caused controversy in recent days, is finally appointed Secretary of State responsible for Consumption.

The arrival of these personalities is a sign “the return of the Trocadéro right, of the most conservative right”a Horizons executive told franceinfo on Friday. Most of the new LR ministers are indeed known for their very conservative positions. Some, like Bruno Retailleau, demonstrated against same-sex marriage, and most of them were supporters of the former Prime Minister and presidential candidate, François Fillon. As a result, the Barnier government is the most right-wing since the end of the Sarkozy-Fillon era twelve years ago.

3 Macronists in a position of strength

Despite their defeat in the legislative elections, the Macronists are in a strong position in the new team. Some of them even already held positions under the previous government of Gabriel Attal. Sébastien Lecornu thus retains his position in the Armed Forces, as does Rachida Dati in Culture. Former ministers Catherine Vautrin, Guillaume Kasbarian and Agnes Pannier-Runacher are reclassified respectively to the Territories, the Civil Service and the Ecological Transition. Finally, the MoDem Jean-Noël Barrot is promoted to Europe and Foreign Affairs.

As a sign of the president’s continuing influence, several close associates of Emmanuel Macron are joining the executive. This is the case of Renaissance MPs Marc Ferracci, for Industry, and Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet, at Work. Other members of the former majority inherit important positions: we can note the arrival of Renaissance MP Anne Genetet in Education. On the Bercy side, it is the Renaissance MP Antoine Armand who was appointed Minister of the Economy, while the former Macronist MP Laurent Saint-Martin was appointed Minister of the Budget. Enough to annoy the RN which nevertheless promised not to automatically censor the new executive: “This ‘new’ government marks the return of Macronism through a back door”Jordan Bardella was indignant on X.

4 A roadmap barely sketched out by Michel Barnier

The Prime Minister outlined some of his priorities in a press release sent to the press on Thursday: purchasing power, public services, security and immigration, but also “ecological debt”, “economic attractiveness” And “control of public finances”The inventory is broad enough for everyone to find their way around, without revealing which files will be dealt with urgently. Enough to endanger this government already on borrowed time, which only has the support of 212 deputies, far from the absolute majority of 289 elected representatives.

Michel Barnier must clarify his policy during his general policy statement before the assembly, expected on October 1. In the meantime, the casting suggests what priorities his government team will carry. The first subject that the government will have to tackle is that of the budget, while the country’s finances are in the red, according to Bercy. It will have to decide the question of possible tax increases, a taboo for the Macronists and part of the right, but outlined by Michel Barnier. According to Gabriel Attal, the Prime Minister stated that he did not plan to “tax increase on the middle classes and working French people”.